Relentless Desire
by Aspen Snow
Summary: Miroku: devilishly handsome and lecherous. Kagome: Endearingly sweet and innocent. She was supposed to love Inu Yasha, he wasn't supposed to care. Things change.
1. Wind, Water, and Fire

**Water, Wind and Fire**

He had come to the conclusion that the elements loved him.  It seemed Mother Nature did everything she could to aid him on his admirable, but often dangerous journey.

Sango's boomerang and Kagome's hand were definitely dangerous.  But it was all worth it, the pain was worth those few seconds of pleasure.  

For Miroku there was nothing in life that could compare to the wondrous curves of the female body.

Perverted, lecherous, hentai, he had heard them all.  But he remained unfazed and steadfast in his goals.  His hand, compelled by a primitive force he could not control, itched to touch and to feel.  Who was he to deny the needs of his body?

He was a monk after all.  His purpose in life was to reach Enlightenment.  For Miroku, Enlightenment could only be found in the warmth and softness of a woman.  There was nothing more enticing than the promise of what lay hidden beneath the layers of cloth, nothing more arousing than the gentle and seductive sway of the hips, and nothing more exciting than the curve of lover's welcoming smile.

Miroku had come to the conclusion that his quest was a respectable endeavor.  If it wasn't then surely the greatest of all females, Mother Nature, would have interfered by now.  But instead she only brought him closer to his goal.

Water, its serene beauty also had the bonus of being translucent.  Treasures not seen in the day of light were many times revealed by the clearness of the water lending his fantasies vivid details. 

Wind, a powerful force that was felt by all, yet seen by none.  It followed them on their journey, mischievously playing with the wonderfully short kimono Kagome was so fond of wearing, and every now and then granting him a most pleasant view.

Yes these elements aided Miroku in his carnal quest, but there was one element, one that at this very moment seemed to be working against him.

Fire, the passionate hues of orange and red danced across her face.  The fire ignited a similar sparkle in her eyes, bringing them alive and drawing him in.  The pure beauty of her face held him still, captivated him and demanded his attention.  All he could do was watch her.  The musical laughter that shook her shoulder ever so slightly and brightened her eyes, the childish innocence that had her tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and the inherent warmth that had her smiling.

Miroku had seen beauty before and he had been awed by it.  But for some reason this was different, the force of her beauty coming from somewhere deep inside herself, an inner grace that made her glow, that made her special.

Kagome.

Miroku shook his head to clear his mind of the unnatural and foreign turn his thoughts had taken.

"Miroku are you ok?" He heard a voice whisper next to him.

"Why my dear Sango are you worried about me?" He asked with a playful grin.

"Well, you just looked so faraway and you had this dazed look in your eyes and-HENTAI!!!" Sango yelled as a resounding smack brought the groups attention to the traveling hands of the monk as he lay sprawled on the ground.

Miroku, grateful to the sharp pain that snapped him back into reality, watched as Sango stomped away from the camp muttering angrily under her breath.

"Monk, can't you keep your hands to yourself?" He heard Inu Yasha say from above him where he had taken his customary post in the tree.

"Ah, but Inu Yasha, do you not wish to know the feel of a woman's body beneath your hand?"  Inu Yasha merely rolled his eyes at this, he could not understand the monk's obsession with female anatomy.

"But Miroku" began a childish voice, "why do you continue to do that when you know every time you are going to get hurt?"  Miroku smiled, to be that young and innocent, but of course he had _never_ been that innocent.

"One day Shippou you will understand" he told the kit with a wink, earning a disapproving frown from the woman who held the cub in her arms.

"I would certainly hope not, being perverted is hopefully something Shippou will never understand."

"But Kagome-sama how could you so cruelly deny him such great pleasure?"

Kagome smiled and looked down at Shippou, "Easy, Shippou's going to be a gentleman aren't you Shippou?" 

"YES!" The kit eagerly exclaimed, all too happy to agree with the woman he had adopted as his mother.  He didn't know what a gentleman was, but by the look on Kagome's face he knew it had to be good.

"Alright then, now that we have decided that, it's time for bed"  Knowing the routine Shippou jumped out of her lap and into a nearby sleeping bag.  Kagome tucked him in and laughed at his amazing ability to fall asleep instantly.

"Miroku?" _Damn!_  He'd been caught.  Slowly backing away as one would from a predator, he put on his most innocent smile.

"Yes?"  He questioned, waiting for the blow he was sure to come.  But to his surprise none came.

"Why do you do that?"_ Huh_.  He wasn't expecting that.  She leaned over the sleeping kit to brush the hair out of his face, the wind played with her skirt, _if she would just lean a little more….wait, she asked me a question, why do I do what?_

"Because Kagome-sama, I have such lovely traveling companions, I cannot seem to help myself." He finished with a wide grin.

She cocked her head to the side as if what he said was in code and she was trying to decipher it.

"You must be very lonely, Miroku-sama" she whispered.  His jaw dropped, and his staff nearly followed the same path.  He could only watch in a confused stupor as she herself laid down to go to sleep.

_"You must be very lonely, Miroku-sama"_ The simple sentence raced through his mind.  Had he detected a hint of concern in her voice?  Concern for him?

_No_ he thought.  Not for him.  She was in love with Inu Yasha, had been since the moment she pulled him from that tree.  Her love consumed her and she usually thought of nothing but him.  He had been content to be in the background, always a friend, nothing more.  But now she had turned that startling blue gaze of hers onto him.  Now he was curious.

That night he didn't sleep.  He sat against the tree, watching the subtle rise and fall of Kagome's sleeping form, much as Inu Yasha did every night.

Tonight was different, it was somehow important.  Something monumental had happened without his knowing, some driving force had caused something to shift inside of him and he knew that with the rise of the morning sun, nothing would ever be the same again.


	2. Reincarnated Problems

**Reincarnated Problems**

Kagome slammed her math book closed in frustration.  She hated math anyways.  Who could think about equations and inequalities at a time like this?  Not that she could ever think about them in the first place but at least now she had an excuse.

She was busy fighting evil in Feudal Japan.  Yes, that's what she would tell her teachers.  She couldn't turn in her homework on time because she was too busy fighting demons and collecting pieces of the Shikon no Tama.

And then she would be committed to the nearest mental institution.  So much for that excuse.

But the real reason for her lack of concentration went beyond the mere fact that she despised math.  No, the real reason involved a certain hanyou.

Inu Yasha.  Annoying, stubborn, and violent, that was the hanyou she pulled from a tree, that was the demon she traveled with.

But there were other things about him, there was more to him than just the rugged exterior and the harsh and jagged personality.  There was the instinctive protectiveness that he tried so hard to ignore, the vulnerability he faithfully hid, and the unwavering loyalty that broke her heart.

Kikyou, the miko that captured his heart 50 years before, the woman Inu Yasha could never forget and the face that Kagome could never escape.  She was after all the dead miko's reincarnate.

And therein lay all her problems.  If she could rewind her fantastic journey and pick the spot that ruined her chances with Inu Yasha it would have been the first time she met him.  That first time when he opened his eyes and looked into her face and called her Kikyou.  Inu Yasha had never been hers.  That was the painful reality; she only wished she had realized it sooner.

Every time she thought she had started to win his heart _she would show up and her heart would be crushed again.  Every time he would inevitably chase after Kikyou and leave her behind, alone and heartbroken._

Kikyou would never again love him; she was only capable of hate.  Inu Yasha couldn't see that, he refused to. 

So for what seemed like the millionth time, Kagome sat alone wistfully wishing she could change the past, and his heart.  But for some reason the pain wasn't as sharp as it usually was, the ache not as strong.  Something had changed.

The past few weeks had been uneventful.  They had been traveling to the south with only a rumor as guidance.  They really had no idea where Naraku was hiding this time; he had been in hiding for quite some time now.  Obviously regenerating and building up his power.  

His absence created a false security and provided a temporary peace.  But it was only temporary and Kagome refused to forget that.  Forgetting that he was still out there was dangerous, he would come and they would have to be prepared.

But for now, for now she just wanted to be an ordinary schoolgirl with ordinary problems.

But she wasn't ordinary.  She traveled through time and fought demons along side a hanyou, a youkai exterminator, and a monk.

Speaking of monks, Miroku had been acting strange recently.  She had started to notice the little things.  The frequent glances he had started sending her way, the subtle way he seemed to avoid walking near her, the surprising lack of groping.  But the one thing that confused her the most were the times she would catch him glaring at Inu Yasha when no one was looking.  It was almost as if he hated Inu Yasha for something.  She didn't understand it.

But she was beginning to see that she just didn't understand Miroku, and that bothered her.  She realized in her preoccupation with Inu Yasha she had neglected him.  She had made many efforts to get to know Sango and Inu Yasha but she had never really had a real conversation with Miroku.

He was lonely.  That much she knew.  She suspected all his groping and his "Will you bear my child" bit was just a cover. 

He was cursed with the Kazana, a curse that killed his father and would eventually kill him.  Despite his constant cheerfulness and good humor, she knew he had to be scared.  Death seemed inevitable for him; it was there like a shadow in his future, defeating Naraku was his only hope, everyone's only hope for happiness.

Naraku, the evil hanyou who sought the power of the Shikon no Tama was the source of everyone's problems and everyone's pain.  He was the reason Sango was forced to live with a brother who couldn't help but betray.  He was the reason Miroku was alone.  He was the reason Inu Yasha couldn't let go of the past, and he was the reason Kagome was forced to travel between two worlds and never really belonging in either one.

If she had learned anything from her travels and dealings in the past it was that life was fleeting and short.  She had learned the importance of appreciating what you have because tomorrow was never certain.

With an air of determination, Kagome began haphazardly throwing miscellaneous objects into her large yellow backpack.  

She had a lot of ground to make up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome yelled as she ran to catch up with the group.  Honestly, she had only stopped for a few minutes.  Inu Yasha didn't have to leave without her.  It was just that everything was so pretty.   She loved spring, the blooming flowers and the beautiful colors they brought with them.  The air always seemed lighter and fresher, the land seemed to sparkle.  She truly loved this time of the year.  She had only wanted to take a short break from tedious traveling to admire it.  But no, he just had to walk off without her.  He was so impatient. 

Huffing in annoyance, Kagome turned to the monk who had stopped at her call.  She smiled brightly; she refused to let Inu Yasha ruin her good spirits.

"Everything is so beautiful now; don't you think Miroku-sama?"

He smiled, _why had she never noticed how handsome he looked when he smiled?_  "Why yes Kagome-sama, the beauty of the land is truly amazing."  He said, his voice dropping to dangerously husky whisper.  And then suddenly he had stopped walking.  Kagome was about to ask Miroku why he had stopped when he grabbed her hand.

She looked down in confusion at their joined hands.  _He has such beautiful hands, so warm. Gah! What am I thinking?_  

"Kagome" the velvety softness of his voice brought her attention back to his face.  His eyes had slightly darkened; there was a whisper of something in those obsidian depths that spoke to her.  He leaned in ever so slightly; the smoky scent of autumn filled her senses. _He smells good._

Her eyes fell lazily to his parted lips, so full and sensuous.  _What did they taste like?  Her eyes started to close of their own volition and her body tensed in anticipation.  She could feel his breath, like a silken feather, on her cheek._

"Will you bear my child?"

"HENTAI!!" She screamed, smacking him across the cheek and earning a hearty laugh from the offending monk.

Infuriated beyond comprehension Kagome stalked towards the head of the group to take her customary position next to Inu Yasha.

"Feh, what did the monk do this time" 

"Nothing he hasn't done before" she mumbled.  But she was lying.  True, he had asked her to bear his child before, many times in fact.  But he had never done it so….seductively.

The feel of his fingers on her skin, the feathery touch of his breath on her cheek.  She could still feel them, remembering caused an odd sensation to course through her body, a tingling she had never felt before.  It was as if every nerve ending her body was alive and screaming for something, something she couldn't name.

Glancing to her side she studied Inu Yasha; the shockingly white hair, the magnetic golden eyes, the ruggedly handsome features.  She was supposed to love him, it was her destiny.  Wasn't it?

She suddenly wondered why she lacked her previous certainty and why the prospect of loving him forever didn't sound so appealing.

**Review Responses:**

**sesshoumaru's** goddess:  **Yes you were the first to review my fic.  Congratulations!!!!  And your prize is….ummm…another chapter???  Anyways….I'm so glad you enjoyed my first chapter and please keep reading!!!!!!**


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